Should parents smack naughty children?

THANK you, Dr Max Pemberton, for having the courage to speak the truth about smacking. He rightly distinguishes smacking from beating — and punishing behaviour rather than the child. Reason is not always a valid response for those not ready to understand the implications of their action. Not all children need to be smacked, but it is useful when applied to the behaviour and not as a means of venting anger. If parents only smack when they are angry, then children will reciprocate in kind. The examples that Dr Max gave reveals parents who are embarrassed and have to apologise for the behaviour of their children. We want parents to be proud of the behaviour of their children in public. Loving children and keeping them secure is not undermined by the smack of correction. ARTHUR CORNELL, Eastbourne, E. Sussex. MY PARENTS were strict, but not unkind. There were a number of rules my two siblings and I had to observe, such as not getting down from the table until allowed to. We had a routine to follow — bed early, behave in school (as if we dared not to) and never be rude to a grown-up. When I had grown up, my father told me he had never had to smack any of us, and he was proud of that. My husband and I also brought up our two children with rules to follow. If they were naughty, they would lose out on treats such as a visit to the cinema. A smack wasn’t necessary — they were more upset about losing something they had looked forward to. My grown-up son told me: ‘Thanks to you and Dad, I know my boundaries.’ Does smacking do this?

P. BALDWIN, Guildford, Surrey.